Before and After
by ribbonelle
Summary: Some things could never be the same. Some things never change.


**Sticky, riding, size difference.**

* * *

><p>Chromedome shifted yet again.<p>

Rewind's visual feed was offline; he wasn't in full recharge yet but his systems had slowly shut down one by one in preparation. The movement from the mech curled around him jolted him awake though, and Rewind reached back to blindly pat at Chromedome's hip.

"Can't sleep?"

His partner curved even more along his smaller frame, voice oddly hushed, "No. You sleep, though. I will, eventually."

The reassurance rang empty. For all the years they've been together, Rewind had never dismissed Chromedome's inability to recharge. He'd stay awake, they both knew that. The minibot stretched slowly, and lifted himself up to turn on his other side, facing Chromedome. White digits brushed the mech's facemask, and Rewind's leg scraped slightly along his partner's, "Anything you want to do instead?"

It had been a while since they were this physical with each other. Mostly because they were exhausted from constantly being needed in the ship, and from distancing themselves from each other after arguing. It had been especially fiery last week, with Rewind's field blazing with anger as he left their quarters and didn't return for three nights. Now, though, Chromedome was caressed by gentle pulsing and the general contentment and calm Rewind projected. It made his own field lighten.

"Would you mind playing something for me? Anything. Something with us in it." he murmured, and Rewind's visor brightened visibly.

"Of course! Let me just…" the minibot stretched one more time, languid, and sat up. Chromedome followed suit, maneuvering their frames so that he ended up leaning against the wall next to the berth, Rewind seated comfortably in between his legs.

Absently, Chromedome traced patterns on Rewind's shoulder guards, as his partner settled back, humming in pleasure.

"There are so many videos of us, though. I can't choose," Rewind said, sounding slightly detached as he accessed his storage system, "I have this compilation of your aft, if you want? High definition, various angles. An all-time favourite."

Chromedome spluttered as Rewind laughed, leaning away from Chromedome's vengeful tweak to the wiring in his shoulder joints. Not that Chromedome could even grasp some, but it was Rewind's weak spot, and his partner knew that very well.

Pinching fingers went back to tracing on black plating, and Rewind kept searching. He made a delighted noise after a while, looking up at Chromedome in excitement, "Here's one! It's dated a long time ago, so even I can't remember it very well."

"Play it, then," said the mnemosurgeon, "If we're lucky, it'd be one of those videos you record when I'm making a fool out of myself."

"But you're always a…" started Rewind, who laughed at Chromedome's warning tap on his shoulder. Instead of further teasing, he faced the opposite side of the room again and executed the command for the video to play, the projection from his visor illuminating the dark quarters.

It began with Rewind turning around, the recording's view spinning for a while before settling on Chromedome's back; the mech apparently fiddling with the door of their shared apartment.

Rewind remembered that apartment very well. Chromedome did too, if the way his field flared was any indication. It was Chromedome's, and he had only occupied it for about two months when he asked Rewind to move in with him. They had brought their initial friendship to something more by then, but things were still very sweet and sometimes awkward, and Rewind's spark pulsed with bittersweet nostalgia upon remembering.

True enough, Chromedome's surprised visor flash in the video showed how unfamiliar they were with each other at the time, "Hey. Were you waiting for me?"

"Mhm," video Rewind replied, zooming in on Chromedome's face, "Came back early from that news reporting gig. How are you feeling? Tired?"

Chromedome chuckled, moving to approach Rewind, "You know how it is. We're still not done with the investigation. Still doing field work."

Rewind reached out and Chromedome took his servo, the larger mech dropping on the couch next to his companion. "Tell me about it," scoffed Rewind, "Then you'll have to do all the reports, too. Prowl's really just a helpful partner, isn't he?"

"He's alright, can't blame the guy. New in the business. He does help, sometimes, and he's decent at getting things done."

The minibot made a noise of disagreement but said nothing else, the camera lifting suddenly, focusing on Chromedome's face.

"Okay. Anyway. Welcome back," he said almost quietly, leaning in to lightly touch their facemasks together, and it was apparent that his field was gentle and welcoming against Chromedome, the mnemosurgeon shuddering slightly at the contact. The deep, dim glow his visor had taken to afterwards was captivating.

Chromedome followed Rewind's motion, refusing to cease their contact just yet. His visage was superimposed in the video as he nuzzled and bumped his face against Rewind's. Rewind laughed lightly, a mechanical noise indicating that the minibot had lifted his arms to wrap it around Chromedome.

The bigger mech pulled back with his visor an intense gold, pleasure almost tangible through the recording, "You're going to make a habit out of that, aren't you?"

"Told you I'd give you two kisses every day, remember? One before you go to work and one after. Why, you don't like it?"

"I like it," murmured Chromedome, "Makes me wanna do things."

Rewind's laughter was light and airy, but the undertones of desire was apparent when he next spoke, "You just got back from work. You're tired, remember?"

The camera moved backwards suddenly, the motion slow. Chromedome was pushing Rewind down onto his back on the couch, his larger frame blocking everything else from view. There was only Chromedome in his vision. "Help me relax," the mnemosurgeon coaxed, and descended.

No more words were exchanged aside from the sounds of plating scraping against each other, quiet sighs and laughter and mumbled noises. The recording was still going, and it was mostly dark due to Chromedome's bulk over Rewind, the constant contact of their faceplates, only revealing flashes of white hands and yellow plating, dimming gold and flickers from when Rewind fought to keep his visual feed online.

The video cut off mid-moan; they weren't sure who made the sound; and there was nothing but silence. The memory of what happened after was clear to Rewind now, though mellowed slightly by age. He remembered exchanging love confessions with Chromedome. They used to do that a lot in the early stages of their relationship. It had been just the both of them and nothing else, before, living in a nice place in the city, coming home to each other every day. There had been fewer fights, and more hushed conversations in the middle of the night cycle. It was sentimental.

In the present, Rewind tilted his head up only to find his conjunx endura already watching him. Chromedome's field against him was gentle and comforting, and after a light, questioning push, Rewind discovered desire in it as well. He leaned back just as Chromedome's arms slid around his small waist, head dropping to press against the side of Rewind's.

Big fingers raked over the length of Rewind's torso, and hooked gently under the groove of his chest. Rewind vented, placing his own hand over Chromedome's, "You wanna…?"

The reply was another nuzzle, Chromedome's field emitting a pulse of need. His voice was quiet, for some reason, "I think we both could use a little relaxation."

Rewind laughed at the obvious reference, and reached back to wrap his fingers around one of the protrusions on Chromedome's shoulder. He leaned back, offlining his vision for a moment and basked. It's been a while since this, since interfacing. The last few times had been rushed and mostly as an attempt to patch things up after an argument, and the change of pace was very welcome.

Rewind couldn't understand why he felt so sad.

He turned around in Chromedome's lap then, and the other mech shifted to give him room. Straddling Chromedome's thighs, Rewind propped himself up, hands reaching for Chromedome's helm and lightly tugged him down. Their fields collided again in slight, repeating contact; kisses; and the minibot pressed his facemask against Chromedome's, visor now dim. He had always loved looking into this particular shade of gold; he could call it his favourite colour.

A small white hand reached down and Rewind skittered his fingers over the rise of Chromedome's pelvic array, tracing the almost invisible seam of his panel. In return, Chromedome let his own hands rove all over Rewind's frame, following the angles and curves of the smaller mech, applying pressure in places he knew Rewind would enjoy.

The light touch to Chromedome's panel turned slightly urgent, as Rewind palmed insistently at the heating metal, a request. The mnemosurgeon obliged after a while, taking the time to watch how Rewind's elbow joint moved with his gesture. His panel retracted, his spike rising, and Rewind wasted no time in releasing his own equipment. The size difference was huge, but they've gotten past that millennia ago.

Using both hands, Rewind brought their spikes together. He'd always thought they made a pretty picture, his black, smaller appendage dotted with orange biolights and Chromedome's white-yellow, smoother spike; he had private videos as homage to that particular opinion. He'd almost forgotten how he loved rubbing against his partner like this, fingers spread wide to accommodate the girth of them both. He ground his hips, rutting against Chromedome and the low moan the mech made was music to his audials.

He kept up the motion, as Chromedome sent surges of emotion through their mingling fields over and over, desperate, longing kisses, facemask pushed against Rewind's. The minibot hummed in his pleasure, thumbing the pre-transfluid beading from Chromedome's spike to rub it against his own length. Chromedome noticed, and bucked up, wanting. Rewind bounced in his lap and it made him laugh a little, almost slipping off the mech's frame.

"Primus, Domey, don't throw me off!"

"S-sorry," Chromedome groaned, taking a while to recollect himself before looking up from Rewind's neck, field with apologetic amusement, "Been a while. Forgot how fragging good your hands are around me."

Rewind leaned to bump their facemasks together, "S'okay. It really has been a while."

"Why haven't we done this more often, again?"

"Well, it wasn't as if we boarded the Lost Light with a romantic getaway in mind. We've been busy."

Chromedome's visor narrowed a little with his regret, "I'm sorry. I should spend more time with you."

"Don't be. Both you and I have things to do on this ship, and you're an asset. You've got skills," Rewind didn't mention if he approved of said usage of skills or not, he didn't want to ruin the mood, "I'm not going to apologize for that, too. As long as you come back to our quarters every day and I get to see you when I wake up, it's fine by me."

His conjunx endura pulled back slightly to look at him, and appreciation and gratitude seeped through their fields.

"Thank you."

Chromedome leaned in and bucked his hips once more, though, this time his hands steadying Rewind by the abdomen, "Now for the love of Primus, please let me in. You ready?"

The minibot bit back his own pleasured moan, nodding and lifting his aft, "Been wet for a while now, I just like seeing you all worked up." He snickered at Chromedome's annoyed reaction, but withdrew the panel over his valve. Hoisting himself up by Chromedome's shoulders, Rewind lowered himself till his partner's spike nudged against his opening.

Chromedome helped, stabilising the minibot with one hand while the other trailed a finger down the smaller spike, picking up charge before pushing one digit into Rewind's valve. He really was wet, lubricant coating the lining of his channel. Chromedome slid the finger in and out a few times, and Rewind clutched at him, fighting to relax his internal walls.

Chromedome was right. It had been too long.

Another finger slipped in and the larger mech spread them apart, opening Rewind up. Rewind took the chance to lower himself even more, onto the waiting spike, and slowly took it all in. They had done this so many times for so long; it wasn't a problem for Rewind's valve to accept Chromedome's spike anymore.

So why was Rewind getting overwhelmed?

His aft met Chromedome's pelvic plating. He reached out to hug his partner, holding him tight, the blue of his visor dimming till it was nothing but darkness. Chromedome rubbed small circles on Rewind's back, fighting to regulate his ventilation. The stretch was familiar and welcome, it didn't take Rewind long to adjust, and retook some control, letting his valve clench and ripple around the intrusion.

Chromedome's hitching vents turned into a harsh moan, suddenly pulling the smaller frame hard against his. His vocalizer was staticky, "Rewind."

"Domey," Rewind replied breathlessly, slightly stunned by how badly he missed the thickness filling him. He rolled his hips in circles, head falling back slightly in pleasure, Chromedome's spike pushing against his nodes again and again. Lubricant pulsed out of him even more, slicking his walls and the spike, easing their movements.

The mnemosurgeon's field was a mess of need and adoration and lust, but his efforts to stay calm was evident through his light laughter, "You're always going to call me that, are you?"

Rewind unwound his arms around Chromedome's neck, leaning back slightly, "Yeah. That's the name you gave me when we first met. I'm sticking to it," He moved his legs to slide his pedes under the cylindrical appendages of his partner's hips, and tilted his helm; "Unless you'd really rather I call you Tumbler?"

It had been millennia and Chromedome had never really asked himself that question. He found out that it didn't matter as much as he thought it would. Not with Rewind, anyway. He shook his helm, surging to touch Rewind again, "No. You're the only one who calls me Domey, anyway."

"And I intend to be the only mechanism that does as long as I could," the minibot replied, accepting the scrape of their facemasks again.

Chromedome's agreement and pleasure reverberated through their fields, and Rewind hummed. With his hooked pedes anchoring him, his servos reaching again to grip at Chromedome's shoulders, he pulled himself up. The slide of the spike out of him was utterly satisfying, Chromedome's stuttered venting even more so. Rewind looked at his conjunx endura, the blue of his visor deep and sultry. Trusting Chromedome to support him, he let go of one white shoulder to reach down and lightly grip the mech's spike, pumping it a few times before guiding it into himself.

He let the head move past the rim of his opening, before lifting his aft up and letting it slip out again.

"Rewind," Chromedome's grip on him tightened, and the responding pulse of desperation almost melted Rewind's processor. He sent reassurance and love instead, and took Chromedome back into himself. The entry was flawless, and Rewind's visor flickered from the pleasure.

He set a rhythm, aft lifting and dropping as he secured himself with his pedes under Chromedome's hips. Ragged moans were forced from his partner eventually, large servos wrapping around Rewind's torso to frantically delve into and run along seams, wanting to please as much as Rewind was pleasing him. The minibot loved it, loved driving Chromedome to incoherence. He rode Chromedome with ease, deliberately flexing the callipers in his valve, losing himself in the sensations.

It was a good thing that Chromedome had been leaning against the wall and sitting on the berth, for he lost control temporarily, helm trashing to the sides and he thrust up roughly, making Rewind gasp in delight. Rewind dropped himself down at every up lunge Chromedome made, crashing them together, the rough fragging sending extreme signals zapping through his circuits and raising all sorts of alarms in his HUD. Rewind didn't care.

The best thing about being with Chromedome was that he never did have to care, not about things that weren't about them being as close to each other as physically and mentally possible.

One particular window in his HUD startled him; an inquiry to allow the exposure of his spark; and Rewind almost stopped his movements to ask Chromedome if they should merge. His visor went online, to the sight of his conjunx endura venting steam, the gold he adored flickering and flashing, Chromedome's entire frame jerking up with his actions.

Rewind didn't ask. He opted instead to watch Chromedome, till the pleasure became too much and Rewind himself was moaning in ecstasy, sharp, high noises ripped out of his vocalizer. Chromedome took the chance to wrap a hand around Rewind's spike, tugging a few times and Rewind shattered.

He climaxed without a sound, frame going rigid as he arched, valve undulating and spiralling down on Chromedome. Transfluid splattered over Chromedome's abdomen and it set him off, reaching over to clutch Rewind tightly to himself, plunging up hard a few more times before reaching completion.

The entire quarters felt overly heated, and the pair vented harshly, heat waves coming off of their frames. Chromedome loosened his hold on Rewind eventually and looked up, just as Rewind lifted his head again. Rewind's visual feed was a little bleary, his systems rebooting one by one, but the sated glow of Chromedome's visor made his spark stutter.

It was like falling in love all over again.

Rewind laughed, cupping Chromedome's helm to happily push his face against his lover's, his field flaring with utter gratification and elation. Chromedome's response was slightly delayed; most probably from his intense overload; but he pushed his own field against Rewind's, his contentment evident. Their emotions crested and broke, surging and mingling and never ceasing contact.

Chromedome wrapped his arms properly around Rewind then, gently falling sideways onto the berth, the minibot snug in his arms. Recharge was imminent; they had expended so much energy; and Rewind couldn't remember feeling this relaxed in weeks.

"I love you," he mumbled, slipping into unconsciousness, but his words came out wrong and Chromedome made a questioning sound. Rewind didn't reiterate, and Chromedome chuckled slightly at his partner's exhaustion. He could always ask Rewind tomorrow.

For the time being, he was going to recharge with his beloved in his arms, and not worry about the undesirable thoughts that might resurface in his sleep.

/

Chromedome woke up to an insistent pinging on his , and even after the initial seconds of ignoring it, the pinging continued. He answered it, finding a message from Drift concerning his ongoing duties on the Lost Light.

He onlined his visor. Oh, that's right. They weren't back home on Iacon.

The sight of Rewind in his arms soothed the ache in his spark nevertheless, and the realization that they were still connected from the night before. They had always been bad at cleaning up after interfacing. Some things never change.

After gently easing out of his conjunx endura, Chromedome cleaned himself , trying to do the same for Rewind but mostly concerned he'd wake the minibot up. His partner could use some deep recharge.

He got out of berth and reread Drift's message. Another Overlord session, of course. He was making a breakthrough, too, he was close to actually getting something out of the captive. At least, his efforts and lies wouldn't be in vain if he did discover the Decepticon's secrets.

Chromedome was at the door when he glanced back at his sleeping partner, and reconsidered. Walking over, he leaned slowly and pressed his facemask very, very gently against the side of Rewind's own. The minibot shifted a little, but settled back into recharge.

Chromedome's spark felt lighter after the gesture.

One kiss before work and one kiss after, right?


End file.
